Odaenathus

Odaenathus (220-267 AD), born Septimius Udhayna, was the Malik of Palmyra from 260 to 267, preceding Vaballathus. He was the husband of Zenobia, who founded the Palmyrene Empire after Odaenathus' assassination.

Biography
Septimius Udhayna (known in Greek as "Odaenathus") was born in Palmyra, Syria in 220 AD, and he came from an aristocratic family of mixed Arab and Aramean descent. He was elected Ras (Lord) of Palmyra during the 240s, and he lifted his city from being a regional center to becoming the supreme power in the East. By 258, he had become a Consularis, a high-ranking Roman client ruler. After the defeat of the Roman emperor Valerian by Shapur I in 260, Odaenathus assumed the title of King of Palmyra and defeated the invading Persians. He then took the side of Gallienus against Fulvius Macrianus, and Gallienus rewarded him by formalizing his position in the East, accepting Odaenathus' nominal loyalty. In 262, Odaenathus invaded across the Euphrates and reconquered Carrhae and Nisibis, reclaiming all of the lands lost to the Persians in 252; however, he failed to conquer Ctesiphon. By 263, he was in control of the Levant, Mesopotamia, and eastern Anatolia. In 266, he launched a second invasion of Persia, but he had to abandon the invasion to fight off a Germanic invasion of Bithynia. In 267, he and his son Hairan I were assassinated, and his other son Vaballathus became the new king, while his widow Zenobia served as regent.